board of directors

Dr. Yap has over 29 years of experience in finance, investment and banking.  Dr. Yap was the President and a director of Burcon Group Limited from June 1998 to July 2007, a private company which is involved in real estate and other investments.  Dr. Yap obtained his Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Victoria in 2001.  Dr. Yap is the Chairman of Hanny Holdings Limited and executive director of Rosedale Hotel Holdings Limited (until May 2011) and See Corporation Limited (until June 2011), all of which are companies whose shares are listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Stock Limited.  He is the chairman and chief executive officer of China Enterprises Limited, a company whose shares are traded on the OTC Securities Market in the United States.  He is the executive chairman of Hanwell Holdings Limited (formerly PSC Corporation Ltd.), Intraco Limited and Tat Seng Packaging Group Ltd., all of which are companies whose shares are listed on the Singapore Exchange Limited.  In June 2011, Dr. Yap was appointed as alternate director to Dr. Charles Chan of Television Broadcasts Limited, a company whose shares are listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited.

Ms. Chau is the Deputy Chairman and Managing Director of ITC Corporation Limited, an investment holding company which has interests in a diverse portfolio of businesses and the shares of which are listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited.  She is responsible for ITC Corporation Limited’s operations and business development and has over 31 years of experience in international corporate management and finance.  Ms. Chau holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce at the University of Alberta and a Master’s Degree in Commerce at the University of New South Wales and has been awarded the Certificate in Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Way to Health at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.  She has professional accounting qualifications and experience in different jurisdictions and is a fellow member of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the CPA Australia and a member of the Certified General Accountants’ Association of Canada.  Ms. Chau is a member of the General Committee of The Chamber of Hong Kong Listed Companies, a non-profit organization serving listed companies and other industry bodies in Hong Kong.  She was a director of Oxford Properties Group Inc. from July 1995 to October 2001.  Ms. Chau was a director of BurCon Properties Limited from July 1997 to May 1998.

Dr. D. Lorne Tyrrell is the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)/Glaxo SmithKline Chair in Virology in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Alberta.  Since 1986, he has focused his research on viral hepatitis.  Supported by CIHR and Glaxo Canada, Dr. Tyrrell’s work on the development of antiviral therapy resulted in the licensing of the first oral antiviral agent to treat chronic hepatitis B infection – lamivudine - in 1998.  Dr. Tyrrell holds 22 international patents for his studies on viral hepatitis.  Dr. Tyrrell was Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry from 1994 – 2004 at the University of Alberta and is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Gairdner Foundation.  The Canada Gairdner International Awards recognizes excellence in medical science research globally.  Dr. Tyrrell has received numerous prestigious awards including the Gold Medal of the Canadian Liver Foundation (2000), the FNG Starr Award of the Canadian Medical Association (2004), the Principal Award of the Manning Awards Foundation (2005) and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012).  Dr. Tyrrell was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada in 2002.  In April 2010, D. Lorne Tyrrell was appointed as the inaugural director of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology at the University of Alberta.  On April 28, 2011, Dr. Tyrrell was inducted to the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.

Mr. Chan is an executive director of ITC Corporation Limited, ITC Properties Group Ltd., and PYI Corporation Limited, all in Hong Kong.  He is also an alternate (non-executive) director to Dr. Chan Kwok Keung, Charles, of PYI Corporation Limited.  At ITC Corporation Limited, Mr. Chan focuses on private equity, venture capital and corporate finance transactions across countries and industries.  At ITC Properties Group Limited, Mr. Chan is involved with the investment and development of commercial, hospitality and residential projects across Asia.  In addition, he is the lead in developing new policies for green and sustainable practices throughout the group.  Mr. Chan is the director of corporate finance at PYI Corporation Limited.  Mr. Chan is also currently an advisor to the BEE Inc. (Bisagni Environmental Enterprise).    Prior to joining ITC, Mr. Chan worked in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs Group with a focus on capital raising, mergers & acquisitions and strategic advisory for financial institutions in Greater China and Southeast Asia. Mr. Chan is a graduate of Duke University majoring in Political Science - International Relations and minors in Philosophy and Economics. 

Matthew Hall is a marketing and consumer packaged goods veteran with unique expertise in step change marketing initiatives.  Mr. Hall had a 31-year career with Nestle, the world’s largest food and beverages company. Having worked in several countries, including Nestle’s head office in Switzerland, he has gained extensive experience across continents, business functions and product categories. Mr. Hall has developed and implemented step change marketing, communications and sales capability initiatives, which were launched in Canada, rolled out globally and resulted in sustained growth and profit results for Nestle.  As Managing Director/CEO, Food, Coffee and Beverages Division, Nestle U.K. from January 2008 to March 2010, Mr. Hall has initiated and implemented organizational re-designs and new product launches, introduced leading edge sustainability processes along with health, wellness and nutrition programs.  He is currently an independent consultant, helping clients develop growth strategies and capabilities to become competitive and best-in-class organizations that work in sync to achieve their long-term vision.

Douglas Gilpin, FCA, ICD.D., retired from the partnership of KPMG LLP in 1999.  In 2008, Mr. Gilpin received a Life Service Award from The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta in recognition of 40 years experience in delivering professional services to business and the community.  During his 18 years tenure as a partner in Advisory Services at KPMG he served as an audit engagement partner.  He was a member of the KPMG’s National Quality Assurance, the National Financial Institutions and Insurance Groups and he was the Quality Assurance Partner for the Edmonton office for 10 years.  Mr. Gilpin has consulted on corporate governance, including compliance with the Sarbanes Oxley Act 404 and National Instrument 52-109 reporting for issuers listed on the TSX.  Mr. Gilpin has served as a director of Canada Health Infoway (“CHI”) and a director of Afexa Life Sciences Inc. (“Afexa”), the makers of COLD-FX, where he served as lead director until June 2011.  He has served as a director of The Institute of Health Economics of Alberta (“IHE”), Alberta Innovates Technology Futures (“AITF”) and in 2012 he was appointed to the Board of the Health Quality Council of Alberta (“HQCA”).  He was the chair of the governance committee and a member of the audit committee of CHI, and is the Chair of the audit committee for each of IHE, AITF and HQCA.  Mr. Gilpin is executive chair of The Inspections Group Inc., a privately owned company that performs safety code inspection services, building, plumbing and gas and electrical inspections in compliance with the Safe Codes Act of Alberta.  Mr. Gilpin is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and recently received his ICD.D designation from the Institute.  Mr. Gilpin was elected as Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta in 2012.

Mr. Allen has over 30 years of experience in the investment, banking and securities industries. His career in private banking and investment banking includes working at major investment banks in both the institutional and private sectors in New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong. Mr. Allen has raised private and institutional capital for companies in both the US and Hong Kong, as well as advising on mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Allen graduated with a business degree from Villanova University in 1978.